Slots, video poker and points

Facts checked against their sources on 20 October 2026

Points per dollar, by line

These are the cruise lines' own published earning rates, read on their websites.

Points on Carnival and Holland America come faster, but a Carnival point and a Royal Caribbean point are not the same thing. Each line's offers are worked out its own way, so compare offers, not points.

What a point really costs

Here is the arithmetic nobody shows you. Each point costs you the dollars you must play to earn it, times the house edge on that game:

Cruise lines do not publish their slot payouts, so for slots I have used Nevada's published 12-month figures as a yardstick: all slots held 7.10%, penny machines held 8.78%. For video poker I have used the published math for Jacks or Better with perfect play.

These are long-run averages from published land-casino and game-math figures, not a measurement of any ship. A ship's machines may hold more or less, and nobody outside the cruise line knows. Video poker figures assume perfect strategy on the pay table named.

The video poker surprise

Video poker earns points more slowly than slots, so most people assume it is worse for chasing offers. The table says the opposite. On a full-pay 9/6 Jacks or Better machine, a Royal Caribbean point costs about 7 cents of expected loss against about 36 cents on a typical slot. That is five times cheaper per point.

The catch is real, though:

• You need the right pay table. Look at the pay table for a full house and a flush on one coin. 9 and 6 is full pay. 6 and 5 costs you about $5 per $100, ten times more.
• You need to play it well. The 0.46% figure assumes perfect strategy. Mistakes cost more.
• Ship machines vary, and no line publishes which pay tables it uses. Check the machine itself.
• Offers may not follow points exactly. If an offer is based on what the casino expects to win from you, cheaper points may also mean smaller offers. See how offers are worked out.

My own method: smaller bets, more time

I tested this myself on two sailings. On one I brought a bigger bankroll and played hard in a few sessions. On the other I brought less, bet the slot minimums, and made frequent short visits that added up to about three hours a day. I got better offers after the smaller-bankroll trip.

That is one player's experience, not a published rule. No cruise line says how its offers are worked out. But it fits how the industry describes rating players, which counts time and average bet, and it is a lot kinder to a budget. My full points-to-offers record has every number.

Slot habits that protect your budget

• Always use your ship card or Medallion. Tap or insert it at every machine. Without it, nothing counts. The card reader shows your running total, as on my photo above.
• Points are per dollar played, not per spin. A bigger bet earns more points per spin, but no more per dollar. It just burns the same budget faster.
• Know what does not earn. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity list Texas Hold'em, Keymaster, Cash Crane and coin pushers as not earning points. Norwegian says select tables and slots do not offer points.
• Know when points expire. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity reward points expire at the end of each sailing. Norwegian's stay on your account for 18 months.
• Denomination matters. In Nevada's 12-month figures, penny machines held 8.78%, the most of any denomination, while $5 machines held 4.37%. Ship machines are not covered by that report.

Gambling should stay fun. If it isn't, free and confidential help is there 24/7: call or text 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738) or visit 1800myreset.org. Playing safe →

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